


Frostbite

by FlOrangey



Category: Dragon Quest Series, Dragon Quest XI
Genre: Canon Divergence, Cold Weather, Erik needs a hug, Fluff and Angst, Inspired by the idea of Eleven learning some of Erik's backstory early, M/M, praying
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-17
Updated: 2018-10-17
Packaged: 2019-08-03 11:04:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,818
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16325039
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FlOrangey/pseuds/FlOrangey
Summary: They all notice how the cold didn’t bother Erik, but only Eleven notices how pale he looks walking down the streets, how his eyes gloss over like he’s trapped in a bad memory. And only Eleven notices when he cries during prayer.





	Frostbite

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by the idea of Eleven learning a little bit of Erik's past (and possibly getting the wrong idea) a bit earlier than Act 2. And also fulfill this 'Erik needs a hug' thing I seem to be on.
> 
> I'll be doing more work on Tales Across Erdrea and Save the Last Dance after this, but will slow down a bit because I'm going back to work.

The cold did not seem to bother Erik. It was the first and most obvious thing Eleven noticed when they reached Sniflheim. The storm raging and the doors frozen shut made it impossible for them to get inside and they were all shivering from the cold. They decided to set up camp right away, and figure out a plan for what they could do. Sylvando had planned ahead and brought extra blankets, saying it was just in case the ones at the inn weren’t warm enough. They’d certainly get their use.

“It’s freezing,” Jade muttered, as she rubbed her exposed legs. None of them had proper winter wear and had been hoping to get it in Sniflheim.

“Here.” Erik took one of the blankets and gave it to her. “Try and warm up, we’ll take care of camp.”

Eleven noticed Jade’s surprise, but took the blanket and thanked him. He also saw Rab, shivering as he was, frown at Erik’s seeming lack of reaction to the cold. “Boy took to the weather like a snow sabercub.” He commented. Eleven nodded absentminded. “Well, either way, what matters is settling in and getting warm. This storm is...gonna complicate things I imagine.”

He nodded again and turned his attention back to the others. Once camp was set up, they made dinner. The warmth of the fire was easier on all of them and one by one as it got darker they all turned into the tent to get some sleep. Eleven laid down to sleep, letting out a breath and being surprised for a split second that he could see it. He then heard a sigh and looked up to see Erik lying on his back, eyes open, the one blanket he did take lying haphazardly across his body. Eleven lifted himself up and looked at the young man.

“Aren’t you cold?” He asked. The question was simple but seemed to jolt Erik from his thoughts. He looked at him, almost confused then realizing what he said answered:

“Nah, I’m fine.”

Eleven frowned. “You sure?”

Erik looked at him, a smile crossing his face. “Yeah. Wouldn’t be the first time I’ve slept outside in the winter. Did it in Heliodor all the time.”

Eleven stared at him. Heliodor and Cobblestone’s winters were  _ warm _ compared to the icy cold of Sniflheim. Those would not prepare Erik to be comfortable in this type of weather. He did not say it out loud, but with how Erik's smile faltered under his gaze, he knew the other realized the hole in his story. “I promise, I'm fine. We should probably be worrying more about you, can’t have you dying from cold on us.” He rolled over, “Now go to sleep, bet we’re gonna have a long day tomorrow.”

Eleven sighed and looked back at the top of the tent. He then looked at his friend, who he knew was not sleeping, but was probably still lost in thought.

It was moments like this where Eleven realized how little he knew about Erik. He knew his friend was a former thief, who had dedicated himself to protecting him because of something related to a ‘Seer’ that Eleven had to admit he did not really understand. He knew Erik had been living in Heliodor, but Eleven could tell his accent was just off enough that he had to have lived somewhere else for a while. He had asked a few times about Erik’s past, but the young man would brush off a lot of it by saying it didn’t matter.

Yet he saw the subtle changes in Erik’s body language since Rab had mentioned going to Snifheim. On the ship, Eleven noticed he looked uneasy and for once it was not the rocking of the boat. When they saw they could not get into the city, for a split second he seemed more relieved than concerned. Now, he was being distant and quiet, keeping his head to the ground. Eleven had started to notice a while ago that when something was bothering Erik he would avoid eye contact.

Eleven rolled over so his back was to him and closed his eyes. He needed to try and get some sleep, but even as he did, he could not help but feel something was wrong.

* * *

The streets were covered in ice and snow. Sculpture’s of people and animals littered the streets, some looking like they were getting ready to open businesses and others just enjoying their day. Rab mentioned Sniflheim was supposed to be in its spring season. It felt more like the dead of winter.

They split up to investigate. Eleven and Erik started their search by going to the plaza. He noticed the color had drained from Erik’s face as they looked around. Men and woman looked like they had seen something horrifying before being frozen over. A bit further away, some who had not noticed whatever the others did, were talking to each other. Some children were playing in the streets, frozen as statues. A girl reaching out to her brother as though they were playing some kind of game.

“What happened here?”

The question was Erik’s, but the tone sounded off. There was shock, the same shock anyone would have to seeing a frozen over town, but also hollowness. Disbelief. Disconnect. Like what he was seeing was not real. Like it did not line up with what he expected or knew of the place.

Eleven knew those feelings well. They were the same ones he had when he first saw Cobblestone burned to the ground. “Erik?”

He tried to get the young man’s attention. Instead, Erik ran down the street. Eleven followed him until he stopped in front of the church. Erik looked over the building. It was in the same state as everything else, covered in ice. He put his hand to the door and tried to push on it. It didn't budge.

He cursed under his breath, then banged on the door. “Is anyone in there?!”

Silence. If Eleven had to guess, if anyone was even in there they were frozen like the rest of the people. Or worse… he did not want to think about that. He watched as Erik’s hand fell to his side and he just stared at the church doors. He took a few steps closer and Erik finally looked at him.

“This doesn’t make any sense...” He muttered, gazing at the frozen crowd. He sounded lost. Eleven watched his gaze then said.

“We’ll figure out what happened here.” He said, getting his attention. “We’ll find out and we’ll fix it.”

The look on Erik’s face was a mix of emotions he had trouble pinning down. Anxiousness, relief, apprehension. His face scrunched up as he looked at him. “You sure?” He asked.

Doubt. Eleven nodded, “Yeah.”

He wasn’t sure. The state the town was in was nothing like anything he had ever seen, but every problem had a solution and this one was no exception. At least he hoped so. The look on Erik’s face told him the thief was not sure if he could believe him or not, but then he turned to the people who should have been enjoying their day and nodded.

“I hope you're right.” He said. Eleven followed his gaze to see Erik was looking at two children, frozen in ice, smiles on theirs faces while they were playing. “We have to figure this out.”

* * *

The Hekswood was a windy maze, but if what the queen said was true, they needed to go through it to find the witch and her monster. With evening settling in, and in turn the weather taking a turn for the colder, they agreed they needed to stop for the night. Camp was set up, a fire started to warm themselves and prepare dinner, and the tent was insulated. After eating, most of them went inside the tent, except for Eleven and Erik, the latter a serious look on his face.

“It doesn’t make any sense.” He muttered, then seeing Eleven was listening to him shook his head. “I-it’s nothing, don’t worry about it.”

“Too late,” Eleven said. “Erik, what’s wrong?”

He groaned and was about to speak but Eleven gave him a look that made him stop. He sighed and shook his head. “I’m just confused. The queen’s story doesn’t make any sense. Monsters living in the Hekswood, yeah sure, but a witch? Impossible.”

Maybe it was just Eleven but Erik sounded a little too sure. “Maybe she leaves really deep in the Hekswood?”

“Maybe. Sure hunters do business in there, but they usually don’t go to far in it.” He frowned, “Then again it’s been a few years so...maybe something changed.” He blinked as though realizing he said something he shouldn't have and looked at Eleven. He then shook his head and turned his attention back to the fire. “A-anyway, once we take care of this witch or whatever it is out there, the city will go back to normal, right?”

Eleven nodded. That was the idea.

“Then we just need to get the orb and then we can get out of here.” He sighed and Eleven frowned. Erik’s face had become solemn again like he was thinking about something bad.

“Are you sure you’re okay Erik?”

He let out a breath, which was visible in the cold, “I told you I’m fine. Just…” He looked at Eleven and sighed. “Forget it, it’s not important.”

“It is if it’s troubling you that much,” Eleven said. “You haven't been acting like you since we got here. What’s wrong?”

“It’s just cold.”

Eleven frowned, “You weren’t complaining about the cold the other-”

“Eleven, please, stop.” He said, giving him a look that made it obvious Eleven was crossing some kind of line. He then sighed and continued, “This place, Sniflheim, brings back a lot of bad memories. Don’t ask about them, I don’t want to talk about it. You can probably figure some stuff out on your own just by me telling you that.”

Eleven fell quiet. Erik was not wrong, those words told him quite a bit without actually telling him anything. If Erik said Sniflheim brought him bad memories it meant either he had been in the town for a period of time or was originally from the area and left. It would explain a few things, Erik’s accent was only a bit less pronounced than the queen’s, and he tolerated Sniflheim’s weather better than anyone from Heliodor should.

But now he was left wondering why the place brought bad memories. Whether it was because something happened to Erik, or if he did something that he regretted. He kept the part of him that was curious to know more quiet. Erik already asked him to stop.

“Alright. I’m sorry.” Erik hugged his knees and looked away from him.

“You have nothing to be sorry for.” He muttered and let out a visible breath, “I don’t mean to be cagey about it but-”

“I won’t ask. I promise” Eleven assured him. He shifted a little, moving a bit closer to him, “But if you want to talk about it or anything, you know I’m here right?”

He hoped Erik would look at him. Either give him a smile or respond in kind. Instead, the young man continued to remain quiet and avoid his gaze. “I’m going to bed. Don’t stay up late.” He muttered. Eleven nodded and watched as Erik climbed into the tent. He heard some shuffling before the air around him became quiet and Eleven went back to looking at the fire. He did not stay outside for long, a cold breeze passed through the camp making him shiver and he thought he heard a noise in the distance that told him staying outside was a terrible idea. He put the fire out and got up to go to bed.

Erik was curled up in his spot on the tent, his blanket lightly scattered across him.

* * *

He felt sick. The first thing Eleven realized when he opened his eyes was his body felt strange and it was hard to move. He felt cold and numb, except his head. Something warm was on it and he felt something heavy on his body. He gasped for breath and tried to move, only to be met by something touching his shoulder.

“Easy, easy.” He recognized the voice. Eleven cracked his eyes open to see blue.

“He’s shivering.” Another voice.

“Yeah well, believe it or not, that’s a good thing right now.” The first said. The voice was familiar... Eleven closed his eyes again and let the world become dark.

* * *

Eleven stirred and slowly opened his eyes, only to be greeted by the sight of dim lights and a roof over his head. He stared at the ceiling, confused. Last he thought he was in a tent. Then he remembered the monster, how he slew it after Hendrick had been overpowered by it. Then the witch freezing their bodies in ice and how he suddenly felt dizzy and cold.

Now he felt warm. Hot actually. He realized slowly that the reason he felt so warm was because he was covered in blankets. He pulled them away and tried to sit up. “El?” A voice got his attention and he looked up to see Erik looking at him. He was sitting near the fire and got to his feet.

“Hey,” Eleven muttered, fulling sitting up. His vision blurred and he put a hand to his head. He let out a small noise and looked up when he felt the bed shift a little and Erik put a hand on his shoulder.

“How you feeling?”

“Terrible.”

“Not surprised. You almost froze to death cause of that witch,” Erik said. Eleven brought his hand down to his lap. Once again, he was lucky to be alive. “Let me get some something warm to drink.”

Eleven watched as Erik grabbed a cup and poured something into it. Judging by the setup, everything had been already prepared for him. He came back over and sat down next to him. “Here. Just a warning, it’s-”

Eleven took a sip of the drink and immediately blanched. It was warm, but that was not the problem. It was disgusting. He coughed and shuddered, then looked at Erik when he saw the young man had a strange grin on his face. “I tried to warn you.”

“This is gross.”

“Old trick. It’s disgusting, but it’ll warm you without a problem.” He said. Eleven wanted to ask Erik where he had gotten his trick from, but decided against it. He had a feeling he wouldn’t get an answer anyway. Instead, He took another sip and cringed and then just let the cup rest in his hands.

“Where are the others?”

“Investigating that witch,” Erik said, explaining to Eleven the cabin they were in was owned by a scholar, who was searching for a way to unfreeze Sniflheim. “Veronica wanted to stay behind - think she was worried about you more than any of us - but I told her I could keep an eye out for you fine.”

Eleven nodded. “Were you worried?”

Erik laughed, “Nah, I’ve seen how easy you faint. I thought you’d be fine.” Eleven gave him a skeptical look and he sighed, “Alright, a little. A lot actually. It’s never good seeing someone collapse in the cold and with how that witch tried to freeze you with that curse...” The words trailed off and Erik diverted his gaze. There it was again, that look that Eleven had noticed while they were looking around Sniflheim. He forced himself to look at Eleven and grin. “I’m starting to think the world has something against us. How many times you’ve been knocked unconscious now?”

Eleven decided to play along and returned the question with an honest answer, “Too many to count.”

"I'm just glad we made it in time..." Erik muttered. Eleven leaned forward to keep the young man's attention.

"Me too." He said. Erik was quiet for a bit, then pointed to Eleven's cup.

"Finish it. I know it's gross, but it'll help get you back on your feet."

Eleven sighed and after fighting with himself over it did so. He then lied down to get a bit more rest before the other's got back.

* * *

Sniflheim’s spring was still cold, but not nearly as horrible as the sight of it being frozen in ice. People were walking the streets, talking to their peers and children were running around playing tag or throwing snowballs at each other. No one seemed to remember they were cursed and after thinking it over, Eleven and the others agreed that maybe it was for the best. Most did seem to notice the weather was warm for winter, but many simply shrugged it off as spring simply arriving early.

Eleven walked the street waiting for the others to finish up what they were doing. Serena and Veronica were getting the necessities for the journey ahead, Sylvando was speaking with Dave at the docks. Rab and Jade were speaking to the Queen and her new advisor they were still on the fence about. Erik...Eleven frowned. He had not seen Erik since that morning. He looked around until he saw Erik’s distinct hair color and began moving in that direction, only to stop when he saw the building Erik was standing in front of.

It was the church Erik had first knocked on the door of. He was looking at the entrance, a look of unease on his face. Eleven took a few steps behind some shrubbery to make himself scarce. He watched as Erik just stared at the entrance, and then pushed the doors open and walked in. Eleven followed and peeked in. He could see Erik approaching the podium and the priest looking both surprised and relieved.

“Erik?” The man asked, “It really is you. Bless the gods! After all these years I thought...nevermind, just look at you!"

“Uh, it's good to see you again.”

The man had a smile on his face. He looked like he had not seen such good news in years, “Such a relief! Tell me, your sister. How is she? How’s Mia?”

Eleven’s eyes widened a little. Erik had a sister? He then noticed how quiet the two had become. He did not need to see Erik’s face to know his friend why he did not answer the priest's question. The older man’s face told him everything. “Oh...I see…”

Eleven turned around to leave. He had a feeling this was information Erik did not want him to know about, but then stopped. Erik said Sniflheim brought back bad memories. Erik had a sister. Erik  _ had _ a sister. He looked back at the building and stepped inside, standing near the back. The church had a warmth to it that not many did.

“I’m so sorry Erik. If there’s anything I can do-”

“- Can I get some time alone?” He asked, “I just came to pray for her.”

He nodded, “Of course. Take what time you need. I’ll be in my study.”

Eleven watched as the priest took his leave and turned his attention to Erik. He was staring at the statue behind the altar, then after several seconds of not moving, got on his knees. Eleven watched from a distance, then after a few seconds took a few stepped forward. He took a seat in one of the pews and waited. The silence was overbearing, it only made it worse when he heard a cry echo through the church. He looked right at the source, Erik had leaned over, his head on his folded hands. He was crying.

Eleven got up and knelt down next to Erik. He put a hand on his shoulder making him jump and look right at him. “W-what?” He reached for his knife only to stop when he realized it was just Eleven. He stared in disbelief, then his face turned red. “What are you-? How long have you been there?”

Eleven almost answered, but he had a feeling if he said anything Erik would be mad at him. Instead, he asked, “Are you okay?”

He wasn’t sure if that was a good question or not. He watched as Erik regained his composure and looked at the goddess statue in front of them. “No. I wanna get out of here as soon as possible. This place has...well, you know.” Erik folded his hands together. “You might as well stay. I guess if it's you I wouldn't mind the company.”

Eleven watched as Erik tried to recompose himself and nodded. "I'll stay."

“Just promise me this.” Erik started, looking at him, “Don’t tell anyone about anything you might have heard in here.”

Anything he might have heard. “I won’t. Promise.” He said, “And I won’t ask, but...you have my sympathies Erik.”

Erik sighed and looked back at the statue. Eleven heard his voice crack when he spoke. “She deserved a better brother.”

Eleven kept quiet and put a hand on Erik’s back as he looked down, closed his eyes and continued his prayer. Then Eleven looked at the altar, closed his eyes, and joined him.

* * *

The inn was warm. When Eleven came to their room he noticed Erik was lying on top of his bed, staring at the ceiling. He sat up when he heard Eleven close the door. “So?” He asked.

“We’re heading out tomorrow for Arboria.” He said. Erik groaned, “I know you wanted to leave right away, but everyone’s tired and we’ve got a long climb up a mountain.”

“Alright, good point.” He said. Eleven took a seat on the bed next to him, “Look, this is gonna sound weird, but thanks for sticking around. And for not asking too much.”

Eleven shook his head. “You don’t want to talk about it, you don’t want to talk about it. But...” He hesitated, then put his hand on Erik’s. “...you were there for me when we found out about Cobblestone. I don’t know what happened in Sniflheim, but I want you to know I’m here for you too.”

Erik was quiet for a moment, then a smirk crossed his face. “You know, in my line of work, I hear people say that a lot and it's usually a lie. But you? I think you’re the first person who’s said that and I actually believe it.”

Eleven rolled his eyes, wrapped an arm around Erik, pulling him into a hug. He felt Erik become tense, then relax against him, letting a sincere smile cross his face. Compared to how troubled he looked the last few days, he looked peaceful, which Eleven found to be a nice sight.

Whether Erik would finally share those 'bad memories' with him did not matter. He was just happy he could be there for him.


End file.
